Purpose: To evaluate the reliability of a screening method in patients with common bile duct (CBD) stones before laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) based on predictive factors, and to determine the cases for which preoperative therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) is indicated.
Materials and methods: Alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, amylase, and dilation of CBD results were defined as predictive factors for CBD stones. In cases in which all these 4 factors were negative, preoperative ERC was omitted, and in cases in which 1 of the 4 factors was positive, ERC was performed before LC.
Results: A total of 323 patients (83.7%) in whom all 4 factors were negative, ERC was omitted. In all the 63 patients (16.3%) in whom 1 of the 4 factors was positive, ERC was performed. In 52 (82.5%) of them, CBD stones were present and in 43 of them, LC was performed after endoscopic choledocholithotomy.
Conclusions: For cases in which any 1 of the 4 factors was positive before LC, it was strongly recommended to perform preoperative ERC.